Fork Weekly
Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Total40 min
Serves6
DifficultyMedium
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Biscuits and gravy is peak Southern comfort food, and the from-scratch version is worlds away from the canned-biscuit shortcut — flaky, buttery biscuits under a blanket of peppery, sausage-studded gravy.

Two cold-and-fast rules make the biscuits: keep the butter and buttermilk cold so the fat stays in solid layers, and handle the dough as little as possible. For the gravy, cook the flour into the sausage fat before the milk goes in — that’s what turns drippings into a silky sauce.

Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Tall, flaky buttermilk biscuits smothered in peppery, creamy sausage gravy — the ultimate Southern breakfast, made from scratch in 40 minutes.

Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Total40 min
Serves6

Ingredients

For the biscuits

  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ cup (115 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¾ cup (180 ml) cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing

For the sausage gravy

  • 1 lb (450 g) breakfast sausage
  • ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2.5 cups (600 ml) whole milk, warmed
  • ½ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits.
  2. Stir in the buttermilk just until a shaggy dough forms. Pat out on a floured surface, fold over itself 3–4 times, then pat to 1 inch thick and cut 6 biscuits.
  3. Place on a sheet pan so the biscuits touch, brush the tops with buttermilk, and bake 15–18 minutes until tall and golden.
  4. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet over medium, breaking it up, 6–8 minutes. Do not drain the fat.
  5. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and stir 1–2 minutes to cook out the raw taste.
  6. Gradually whisk in the warm milk. Simmer, stirring, 3–5 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Season generously with black pepper and salt.
  7. Split the warm biscuits and smother with gravy.
Recipe notes & tips
  • Cold butter and buttermilk are essential — warm fat means flat biscuits.
  • Warming the milk before adding keeps the gravy from seizing and thickens it faster.
  • Gravy thickens as it sits; loosen with a splash of milk to serve.
548 kcalCalories
18 gProtein
38 gCarbs
36 gFat